PHYSICS, MATHMATICS, GEOGRAPHY
SOIL,
WATER, AIR
Experiment Continental and Oceanic Climate
Main idea:
This experiment specifies the role of land masses and the ocean for the climate. The
students shall experience and learn about the capability of water and land (exemplified by
sand) to store and release thermal energy. This experiment suits the teaching degree of
secondary schools (11-16 years old).
Experimental setup:
 two bowls
 an accurate scale
 a spoon
 two thermometers
 a heating device (e.g. heating plate or a heat lamp)
 sand
 water
Instruction:
First, we weigh 200g of water (room temperature) and 200g of sand and put it into the
corresponding bowl. The temperature of both sand and water should be even at the
beginning. Now we use a heating device to heat the bowl with water for five minutes.
According to the table, we measure the temperature for each timeslot. Make sure there is
a certain distance between the heating device and the thermometer. After the heating
period is over, we remove the heating device and measure the temperature. We can leave
the thermometer in the bowl now, to see the temperature decline slowly. Before the last
timeslot of 30 minutes, we swirl and mix the water and measure the temperature for one
last time. Now we repeat each step of the experiment by using the bowl containing sand.
If there are multiple heating devices, the bowls can be heated simultaneously by separate
groups.
Interpretation:
The students will notice that water needs more time to warm up than sand. This can be
clearly seen by the quick increase in temperature for sand during the heating period as
well as the maximum temperature reached. However, during the cooling period, sand
tends to release thermal energy significantly faster than water. Thus, the students shall
realize that water has a higher capacity of storing thermal energy than sand.
Consequently, this experiment reflects the relationship between continental an oceanic
climate according to the capacity of water bodies and land masses to store thermal energy
in a simplified way.
Reference: HELL, K. (2006): Experimente aus dem Küchenschrank. Wetter (2). Gotha
Further comments:
At the beginning of the lecture, the teacher should display various climate charts from cities
featuring a rather continental or more oceanic climate. The students shall notice the difference
between hot summers and cold winters observed in regions dominated by continental climate
and the rather moderate temperatures encountered in areas influenced by oceanic climate. The
discussion shall lead to the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis: “Landmasses and water bodies store and release thermal energy differently.
Landmasses heat up significantly faster than water bodies, however also tend to release
thermal energy much faster.”
The experimental setup shall be discussed, developed, and conducted by the students solely.
The teacher acts as a mediator and technical guide. According to the size of the class, the
experiments can be conducted simultaneously. Thus, a class of 24 students can be divided into
six groups with four students. While three groups use the bowls with water, the remaining
three groups use the bowls with sand. The experimental setup shall be sketched by the
students and a protocol about the experiment shall be written. After the experiment, the
gathered data is presented by each group. In advanced classes, the data can be also used for
cross-curricular tasks combining mathematics and physics. According to the data gathered,
the students can elaborate a statistical curve representing the capacity of storing thermal
energy for different materials tested. Apart from water and sand, the students can also use
different materials such as concrete, asphalt, different kinds of soil and so on. In geography
classes, the students can also compare their local environment and identify relevant factors
influencing the local climate in this area and discuss whether it is influenced by rather oceanic
or continental aspects.
Experimental setup “Oceanic and Continental Climate”
WEBER, M (2012): Experimente und Versuche für den Geographieunterricht. Konzeption und Realisierung
einer praxisnahen Sammlung von Experimenten und Versuchen für die Sekundarstufe I. Bochum: p. 57
Data table:
WATER (°C)
0,5 min (heating period)
1 min (heating period)
2 min (heating period)
3 min (heating period)
5 min (heating period)
10 min (cooling period)
20 min (cooling period)
30 min (cooling period)
SAND (°C)